AZEK Permeable Pavers Endure Six Years of Harsh Conditions at University of Minnesota Duluth

SCRANTON, Pa., May 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- An AZEK Paver installation at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) was recently revisited after six years to see how the recycled composite paver performed in a side-by-side test with traditional concrete pavers. Installed during 2007 in a high traffic area of the campus, the durability of AZEK Pavers compared to concrete pavers is clearly visible. AZEK Pavers showed no signs of cracking, wear and tear, or other damage after six years while many of the concrete pavers installed at the same time had chipped, buckled and cracked.

AZEK Pavers (formerly VAST Pavers) were new to the market and only available on a regional basis from its Minneapolis manufacturing facility when UMD agreed to give them a try for their Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP). Due to UMD's close proximity to Lake Superior, Mindy Granley, UMD's Sustainability Coordinator explained that, "Rainwater from the campus can get down from the top of the hill to Lake Superior in just 10 to 15 minutes." She pointed out that impervious surfaces can impact water quality and that by controlling the volume and speed of the water flow, pollution and erosion are reduced. When the designer suggested AZEK Permeable Pavers, UMD's facility team decided to install them side-by-side with traditional concrete pavers to test their performance.

After the first tough Minnesota winter in early 2008, unlike concrete pavers in the same area, AZEK Pavers showed no cracks or chips and held up to the freezing conditions, snow plows and foot traffic. Manufactured with spacer lugs on all sides to improve their water infiltration properties and with up to 95% recycled content, AZEK Permeable Pavers fulfills their promise of an environmentally friendly paver that outperforms traditional pavers. In addition to great performance, AZEK Pavers are directly responsible for diverting more than 10 million pounds of scrap rubber and plastics from U.S. landfills while recycling more than 587,500 tires.

Following the success of the first trial, the Facilities division completed a second 900 sq. ft. installation in the Civil Engineering building's loading dock area. According to Granley, AZEK Pavers have proven to be an effective solution to UMD's soil conditions as well as standing up to extreme winter conditions—both natural and man-made – in this side-by-side comparison.

Since UMD's first installation, AZEK Pavers have been used on thousands of residential and commercial installations across the country – from patios, driveways and even rooftop decks. And they are now available in lumberyards across the US and Canada. For more information on AZEK Pavers, visit www.azek.com.